Getting Ariel to eat the lunch I pack for her has been a challenge. Most days these first few weeks she has come home with much of her lunch intact. Not too big a deal many ways; her kindergarten gets out at 1, so it means only a slightly late lunch for her.

I’ve determined that she is definitely not a sandwich eater right now. Maybe someday she will like them, but for now, no. Same for putting any meat in her lunch. She just won’t eat it. Nuts, even her favorites, cashews, are similarly a no go so far.

But I packed her a pasta salad filled with vegetables and sprinkled with cheese, and it vanished quite satisfactorily. She then informed me that her next lunch she wanted to be “Sand and Shells“. I can cope with vegetarian. Not like people need as much meat as most Americans eat anyhow.

She’s hitting it lucky right now on desserts, although I’ll have to make it clear that this is very, very temporary. We have a ton of “two bite brownies” and other small desserts that I got saddled with from my sister’s wedding rehearsal luncheon. That’s what I get for not leaving early. But her favorite is the angel food cake with strawberries on top. Could be worse.

But her normal dessert is fresh fruit. She adores kiwis and most other fruits. Throw in some vegetables, maybe some cheese, and she’s pretty content.

I’m looking at switching her over to whole grain pastas. It’s a bit hard on a tight budget, but if she’s going to have pasta more than occasionally, I’d like it to have some nutritional value.

I doubt the menu is down perfect yet, since I like providing a good variety, but I’m making steady progress.

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